2000 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.3L V6 - starter noise

Help please!

I have a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan with a 3.3L V6 automatic. This
morning my wife took it into town (about 10 miles there and back) with
no problem. Then after being home awhile she was going to go again
for an appointment and it would not start. When the key is turned,
there is a fairly loud snapping noise coming from somewhere in the
engine compartment which I assume is the starter. It's almost the
kind of noise you might hear when the battery is low but much louder.
Also, the battery checks out to be ok. Can the starter go bad just
like that with no warning? Any thoughts or ideas what the problem
might be? I'd appreciate any help with this.

Thanks,
Steve

Steve wrote:
> Help please!
>
> I have a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan with a 3.3L V6 automatic. This
> morning my wife took it into town (about 10 miles there and back) with
> no problem. Then after being home awhile she was going to go again
> for an appointment and it would not start. When the key is turned,
> there is a fairly loud snapping noise coming from somewhere in the
> engine compartment which I assume is the starter. It's almost the
> kind of noise you might hear when the battery is low but much louder.
> Also, the battery checks out to be ok. Can the starter go bad just
> like that with no warning? Any thoughts or ideas what the problem
> might be? I'd appreciate any help with this.
>
> Thanks,
> Steve
>
I fixed one of those with the same symptom just the other day. It turned
out to be the starter solenoid contacts were eaten down unevenly from
side to side. As the plunger came down to the contacts, it would only
hit one side and not make the electrical connection.

I purchased a new set of contacts as part of a solenoid rebuild kit ay
the FLAPS. A very easy fix, and we were on our way again.

YMMV
--
TomO

On May 23, 5:01 pm, TomO > wrote:
> Steve wrote:
> > Help please!
>
> > I have a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan with a 3.3L V6 automatic. This
> > morning my wife took it into town (about 10 miles there and back) with
> > no problem. Then after being home awhile she was going to go again
> > for an appointment and it would not start. When the key is turned,
> > there is a fairly loud snapping noise coming from somewhere in the
> > engine compartment which I assume is the starter. It's almost the
> > kind of noise you might hear when the battery is low but much louder.
> > Also, the battery checks out to be ok. Can the starter go bad just
> > like that with no warning? Any thoughts or ideas what the problem
> > might be? I'd appreciate any help with this.
>
> > Thanks,
> > Steve
>
> I fixed one of those with the same symptom just the other day. It turned
> out to be the starter solenoid contacts were eaten down unevenly from
> side to side. As the plunger came down to the contacts, it would only
> hit one side and not make the electrical connection.
>
> I purchased a new set of contacts as part of a solenoid rebuild kit ay
> the FLAPS. A very easy fix, and we were on our way again.
>
> YMMV
> --
> TomO- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Thanks! I really appreciate the reply! I'll check out those solenoid
contacts.

Steve

Steve wrote:

> Help please!
>
> I have a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan with a 3.3L V6 automatic. This
> morning my wife took it into town (about 10 miles there and back) with
> no problem. Then after being home awhile she was going to go again
> for an appointment and it would not start. When the key is turned,
> there is a fairly loud snapping noise coming from somewhere in the
> engine compartment which I assume is the starter. It's almost the
> kind of noise you might hear when the battery is low but much louder.
> Also, the battery checks out to be ok. Can the starter go bad just
> like that with no warning? Any thoughts or ideas what the problem
> might be? I'd appreciate any help with this.

On those cars, its pretty likely that the starter solenoid contacts are
getting worn. If you try to start over and over, chances are that on the
4th or 5th "click" it will go ahead and start normally as if nothing
were wrong.

New solenoid contacts are just a few bucks at a starter rebuilding shop
(if you have access to one) and usually nothing else is wrong with the
starter at all.